US parents sue baby bottle companies over BPA

20 June 2008 21:43  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)—US sellers of polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles were reviewing their options on Friday after a group of parents served them with a lawsuit in federal court, alleging the companies withheld the supposed health risks inherent in the bisphenol A (BPA) found in their products.

The complaint, filed in US District Court of Southern District Ohio, names Playtex Vandalia, Evenflo, Avent America, Handicraft and Gerber Novartis of Switzerland. The companies received their summons on Thursday, according to court documents. 

Handicraft and Playtex declined to comment on ongoing litigation. The other companies and the plaintiff’s lawyer did not immediately respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.

“Although the information was known to defendants, the plaintiffs and other consumers … did not know that exposure to BPA, even at low doses, is associated with a staggering number of health problems,” the complaint reads.

The plaintiffs allege that BPA levels of 5-10 parts/bn were found to have leached out of the companies’ baby bottles. They are asking for class-action status for the lawsuit and seeking an unspecified amount of restitution, including payback for all the baby bottles, liners and cups containing BPA they purchased.

This is one of the latest US lawsuits filed that relates to concerns about BPA in baby bottles.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have said the amount of BPA that leaches from PC food and beverage containers and can be ingested by humans is far below the levels deemed dangerous.

However, some parents have grown concerned about BPA, especially after the federal National Toxicology Program said in April that tests of BPA on lab rats raised “some concern” about the chemical’s health impact.

The NTP said the tests offered “limited evidence” of the chemical’s effects on humans, but that concerns “could not be dismissed”. The agency called for more tests.

Retailers, including Wal Mart, have responded to consumers’ concerns and removed PC products from their shelves.

For more information on BPA and PC, visit ICIS chemical intelligence
To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

By: Ben Lefebvre
+1 713 525 2653

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly